Category Archives: Recipes

Keep Calm and Guac On! Hatch Green Chile Guacamole Recipe

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Since I adore avocados, National Guacamole Day (Sept. 16th) is a pretty big deal for me. It’s not like I’ve decorated a tree or sent out cards, but you better believe I’m eating the marvelous mash-up morning, noon and night! Oh, how I hated the stuff as a kid; not that I ever let it near my taste buds. My parents used to make a huge bowl of guacamole, grab a bag of chips and park themselves on the patio for a big chow down. “Ewwww, I’d exclaim,” it looks like throw-up, and they’d just laugh and say “good, more for us!” But times change and palates ripen. Now I can’t get enough in the way of avocados, especially in the form of guacamole. If my kids ever tried to get into my guacamole, I’d swat the hands of those little moochers away!

But, why some athletes avoid avocados, I’ll never know. Maybe it’s because the fruit is high in fat — one cup has 21 grams. However, nearly all of that fat is of the heart-healthy persuasion, known as mono-and polyunsaturated fat. When saturated and trans fats in the diet are replaced with healthier fats (like avocado fat), LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) can be lowered. That’s good!  Another good thing about the avocado is that it is a rich source of antioxidants, able to protect your body from free radical damage over time. Also, the healthy fats in the avocado provide a satisfied fullness that sustains for a decent part of the day, rather than the crash that can come quickly after eating an only high carbs snack.

Anyway, on to the recipe!  My Hatch Green Chili Guacamole was inspired by the 75 pounds of these roasted peppers that I won last year in the 2011 Central Market Hatch Green Chile Cook Off. Needless to say, I’ve been adding Hatch to almost everything I’ve cooked this year. Think outside the dip bowl; use this guacamole recipe on sandwiches, in eggs, on top of savory pancakes or wherever else you can imagine!

Hatch Green Chile Guacamole Recipe

  • 2 Hatch green chilies – roasted, skinned and seeded
  • 2 extra large ripe avocados
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon shredded cilantro

Peel and seed avocados; place into medium bowl. Dice roasted (skinned and seeded) green chilies and add to the bowl. Add lemon juice and garlic salt; mash with back of fork until desired consistency is achieved (I like to keep a few avocado lumps). Garnish with shredded cilantro leaves, if desired.

Note: Roast green chiles (or any pepper) by setting them on a hot grill or under the
 oven broiler until the skin is blistered and mostly blackened, approximately 10 – 20 minutes. During the process, use tongs to flip the chiles several times for even roasting. Remove from heat source and let cool. Rinse loosened skins off in water; slice open to remove seeds. 

Mom-Approved Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops Recipe (Good for Grownups, Too)

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Whew, it’s crazy time! Just got back from a beach vacation with just enough turn-around time to accomplish 7 loads of laundry, take the kids to the dentist and restock my pantry for the hungry boys I’m leaving behind. Oh, where am I going?  To the Pacific Northwest, where I will run on a Nuun Hydration sponsored team in the Hood to Coast Relay; you might have heard me mention that before! If you didn’t it’s just a little 198 mile jaunt from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon that I split up with 11 other teammates No biggie!

Needless to say, I’m so pooped I could pop . . . literally!  I’m leaving behind some homemade Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops for the kiddos as my way of saying “remember your dear old mother as she’s hauling butt down a mountain.” If you’re as old as me, you probably remember similar frozen confections hawked by that famous Huxtable in the 1980s. Back in the day, my brother and I convinced my mom (aka “the sugar sheriff) to hook us up with these tasty treats because they “contained wholesome milk and all the goodness of pudding frozen on a stick.”  In my version, I’ve added whey protein powder to round them out nutritionally, an “ah-ha” discovery from the recent extraction of oldest son’s wisdom teeth. Enjoy!

Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops Recipe

  • 1 box (4-serving size) instant pudding, chocolate
  • 2 cups fat free milk or milk alternative
  • 1 scoop whey protein powder, chocolate
  • 1 cup fat free non-dairy whipped topping

In medium bowl, whisk together pudding mix and protein powder until combined. Whisk in milk until smooth. Pour approximately ¼ of mixture into another bowl; fold in whipped topping until combined with pudding mixture.  Fill frozen pop molds about 2/3s full of pudding and top off remaining space with the pudding-whipped topping mixture. Add stick tops to the molds and set in freezer overnight.  Makes about 6 pops, depending on mold size.

Note: You can use any type of molds you like, even empty yogurt cups with wooden sticks. However, I double love this fun star-shaped set by Tovolo:

 

Also, don’t forget to stock up on your Nuun Hydration tablets, summer is still going strong and you need to drink lots!  In the promo box, type in “bloggerslovenuun” for a 15% discount off your total order.

Best Beef Cut? Try Asian Flair Flat Iron Steak Recipe

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Move over tenderloin, my new favorite cut of beef is the ‘Flat Iron,’ also known as the ‘Top Blade.’ Thanks to the Texas Beef Council for making the suggestion! Cut from the shoulder of a cow, this juicy, well-marbled steak is rectangular in shape and uniformly thick, making it an ideal hunk of beef to toss on the grill. Sometimes, you’ll get one that looks as if it has almost been sliced and separated down the center. This is because a tough piece of connective tissue that runs through the middle is removed by the butcher before it is packaged up. A pesky but a small flaw I can certainly overlook, especially considering the flatiron is one of the tenderest cuts of beef around (second to only tenderloin), meets governmental standards for “lean protein” and is relatively economical compared to some of the premium grilling steaks found at the meat counter.

Every week the family has been enjoying this steak in some easy-to-prepare form or fashion. While you can serve with brown rice and veggies, we enjoyed the sliced steak served with “pajeon,” a delicious scallion pancake that my neighbor brought over.  The recipe on this traditional Korean side dish is coming soon! Paleo Diet friends, just toss sliced some of this meat sliced finely on a bed of greens and you’ll be more than satisfied.

 Asian Flair Flat Iron Steak Recipe

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1.5lb (approximate) flat iron steak
  • Garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place steak and marinade in a zip-top bag and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Grill flatiron steak on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. Medium-rare will read 125 F degrees on the meat thermometer and feature a pink center. If you like your steak a bit more done, aim for medium at 130 F degrees. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.

Flat Iron Nutritional Information

 

McD’s in the Athlete’s Village? Try No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe for Olympic-Sized Snacking

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Over the last couple months, I’ve developed an Olympic-sized appetite which I am attributing to my twice-a-day workout schedule. Run in the morning; CrossFit in the late afternoon.  Today, mindlessly influenced by the fact that there is a McDonald’s in the Athlete’s Village at the London Olympics, I headed on over to my local golden arches for lunch. No, I didn’t woof down a gut-busting Big Mac, fry and milkshake meal and I hope our USA athletes aren’t either! I responsibly ate the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken which is actually quite good with a roasted corn, tomato and black bean salsa and sprinkling of cheese and tortilla chips. However, with only 290 calories (yet supplying a decent 27 gram serving of protein), I was fiercely famished a few hours later.

Today, to address the needs of my rumbling stomach, I whipped up a batch of No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars. Ready in no time, my afternoon treat was ready just in time to kick back on the couch and enjoy seeing the women’s marathon. Sadly, I realized that my favorite event isn’t until Sunday, August 5th.   Oh well, table tennis and badminton will have to do today!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe

  • 2 cups minute oatmeal
  • 4 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (my 4 scoops measured 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon stevia sugar substitute
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Line loaf pan with plastic wrap. In large bowl, add oatmeal, protein powder, flaxseed and stevia; mix these dry ingredients together until well-combined. Next, add peanut butter and water; knead with clean hands until incorporated (you can try to use a spoon, but my wooden one busted right in half). Sprinkle in chocolate chips, knead a bit more. Press mixture into prepared loaf pan and firm up in freezer for 20 minutes. Pull mixture out of pan by plastic wrap; slice into 12 equal sized pieces. Store in the refrigerator.  Serves 12.

Nutritional info (per serving): calories 221, total fat 10g, sodium 99mg, potassium 94 mg, total carb 22g, dietary fiber 3g, sugars 10g,  protein 11.g 

Crustless Calabacita Quiche Recipe . . . Put Some Zing in Your Zucchini!

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Summer brings us grocery store produce aisles that are overflowing with bushels and baskets of squash including zucchini, yellow crookneck, Mexican straight-neck and sunburst squashes. I’ve heard that if you grow the stuff yourself, sometimes you can’t give it away fast enough. I think I hear my neighbor knocking now . . . yay!

Summer squash can be enjoyed steamed, sautéed, grilled and even eaten raw. It’s an awesome addition to the diet of an athlete, packed with potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and C, folate, and fiber. If you’re looking for a new way to serve up squash, try out my Crustless Calabacita Quiche Recipe. Foregoing a fat-packed crust and loaded with squash and lots of other yummy veggies, this easy recipe is a healthy option as a main or side dish or breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Don’t be confused about the word “calabacita;” in Spanish it just means little squash. You can use any summer squash with a tender rind and edible skin. South of the border, they take the term “calabacita” one step further, using it as a generalization for a popularly prepared mélange of squash, corn, green chilies and other vegetables. I hope you like my ‘quiche’ take on the traditional dish!

Crustless Calabacita Quiche Recipe

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 ½ lbs summer squash (I used zucchini), chopped into 1/3” pieces
  • ½ sweet yellow onion, finely diced
  • ¾ cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • ¾ cup fire-roasted green chiles (such as Hatch), seeded, peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¾  cup egg whites
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey jack cheese
  • Garnish: pico de gallo

 

Briefly heat oil in large skillet; sauté chopped squash, onion and corn over medium-high heat until tender, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in roasted green chiles, minced garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add egg whites and cheese, stir together until combined.  Pour into a 1.5 quart casserole dish or into individual ramekins.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Bake covered for approximately 30 – 40 minutes, until eggs are set and cheese is bubbling. For a golden brown top, remove cover for last 10 minutes of baking.   Serves 8.

Nutrition information (per serving): calories 82, fat 2.9g, sodium 190mg, cholesterol 3.0mg, total carb 6.1g, dietary fiber 1g, sugars 1.2g, protein 8.3g